Unloading mechanism.



No. 794,526. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905. O. R. MAPLES.

UNLOADING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.12. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Jfn vcwiaif (WM/L.) 68 (W No. 794.526. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

0. R. MAPLBS.

UNLOADING MEUHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 8EPT.12. 1904.

'2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

L1, 2/6 72 tom Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. MAPLES, OF DULUTH. MINNESOTA.

UNLOADING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,526, dated July 11,1905.

Application filed September 12,1904. Serial No. 224,062.

To all whom it may concern:

terial from barges, scows, and other similar vessels, and contemplatesthe use of an endless conveyer mounted in a suitable trough suspendedfrom and mounted upon a framework erected'upon a truck adapted to berolled onto the barge, so as to give the endless conveyer access to theload in the hold thereof.

More specifically, I employ a truck or flatcar provided with flangedwheels adapted to run on rails carried by the sides of the scow andhaving mounted upon it a suitable framework for carrying a swingingtrough provided with an endless conveyer therein which is adapted toextend down into the vessel and elevate the sand or other material tothe upper part of the framework, where it is dumped into asuitable chuteor trough emptying into a car or. any other suitable receptacle.

The invention may be briefly summarized as consisting in theconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, specification, and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of the truckafter it has been moved onto the'scow, showing the scow incross-section. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the device upon the top ofthe scow. Fig. 3 is asectional view through the conveyer; and Fig. 4 isa top plan view of the truck, showing the engine and operating mechanismfor moving the truck and for manipulating the trough, which is shown incross-section.

In practicing my invention any preferred construction of device and scowmay be employed; but I have shown in the drawings a very effectivestructure which carries out my invention. In such embodiment Arepresents a scow provided with side members a, of ordinaryconstruction, and a curved bottom floor a, which is also of ordinaryconstruction. On the top edges of the side members a is a pair oftrack-rails which are adapted to receive and guide the truck of myimproved unloading device. This unloading device consists of a truck B,provided with axles I), carrying flange-wheels I), which take upon thetrack-rails a This truck is driven by a sprocket-wheel b keyed to one ofthe axles band provided with a sprocket-chain 0, driven by asprocket-wheel 0', receiving its rotation from a bevel-gear c meshingwith a bevel-gear 0 loosely mounted upon a shaft 0*, driven from anengine C. The gear 0 is provided with a clutch member 0", adapted to beengaged by a clutch member 0, loosely splined to the shaft 0*, wherebyupon the engagement of the clutch members with each other the engineisfree to drive one of the axles of the truck and move it along the trackinto any desired position. The shaft 0 is further provided withawindingdrum 0, loosely mounted upon the shaft and which is adapted tobe engaged by a clutch member 0 rigid with the clutch member 0". wherebythe shaft c may be coupled with the later appear. Mounted upon thistruck is a suitable framework D, having at its extreme upper end achuteD',which is adapted to empty into any suitable receptacle. (Not shown.)The framework is further provided with a guiding-slotd in one of itsmembers, which is adapted to receive a pivot-block e for supporting theconveyer-trough E, hereinafter described. This pivot-block is providedwith a threaded opening which takes upon a long screw d, mountedvertically in the bearings d d and'having near its lower end a bevelgear03?, meshing with a bevel-gear d driven by an engine d. From thisconstruction it is quite obvious that when it is desirable to raise orlower the excavating-trough, either to let it down into the material orraise it up when removing the entire device or for any other reason,then this engine cl is operated, thus rotating the screw d and movingthe having upon one of its faces a clutch member drum. This drum is fora purpose which will pivot-block a so as to carry the trough up or down,as the case may be.

The trough E is swiveled to the pivot-block by means of a screw or bolt4; (shown in Fig. 8) in such a manner that it is free to swing upon thisscrew or bolt as a pivot, and thus move the lower end of the trough fromone side of the scow to the other, and this movement is brought about bymeans of a rope 6 which takes several turns around the drum C and isconnected at its free ends to eyes 6 secured to the sides of the trough.This permits the conveyer within the trough to be made accessible to allparts of the scow.

The upper end of the trough E is inclined backward, so as to present theopen end thereof directly above the chute D when the lower end of thetrough is shifted in any position.

Within the trough Eis an endless conveyer consisting of a pair of chains6, taking around a pair of loose sprockets e at the bottom of saidtrough, and a pair of driving-sprockets at the extreme upper end of saidtrough. Suitable guiding-sprockets e are provided at the turn in saidtrough for guiding the front members of the sprocket-chains, andsuitable rollers e serve to guide the other members of these chains inthe back of the trough at the point where it starts to incline backward.At suitable intervals upon these chains are mounted the buckets e, whichare adapted to extend outward from said chain and to dig into the sandor other material, fill themselves, and convey their load to the upperend of the trough and dump it into the chute D, from whence it is freeto. slide into the receivingreceptacle. EnginesFare provided on eitherside of the trough, near its upper end, to drive sprocketwheels f,geared by chains f to driven sprockets f keyed upon the shaft carryingthe sprocket-Wheels 6 To describe-the complete operation of the device,the scow is moved up to the dock, (not shown,) and the truck B is drivenfrom suitable tracks thereon directly onto the sides of the scow by thedriving mechanism heretofore described, the trough E having beenelevated to clear the end of the scow. It is of course necessary thatthe chute D shall be arranged to empty into some sort of a receptacle orother chute. The endless conveyer is then driven by the drivingmechanism for that purpose and the entire trough then lowered into thematerial, when the buckets upon thesprocket-chains in the trough willbecome filled with the material and will convey it to the upper end ofthe trough and dump it into the chute D.

While I have described the chute D as emptying into any suitablereceptacle, an additional chute may be provided whereby there will besufficient fall to lead the sand or other material conveyed to the chuteD down onto the dock or into acar or other suitable receptacle.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In an unloading-machine, thecombination of a trough bent backward near its upper end, a support onthe rear side of the trough, to which the trough is pivoted on a pivotbelow its backwardly-bent portion, the lower portion of the troughdepending vertically from the front of the pivot, means for swinging thetrough as a whole upon said pivot, and an endless conveyer mounted inthe trough. 2. In an unloading-machine, the combination with a truck, ofa trough mounted near its upper end upon said truck, on a pivot which issubstantially parallel with thedirection of the movement of the truck,an endless con veyer within said trough, means for swinging the lowerend of-said trough transversely into any desired position, means foroperating said .conveyer, and a chute into which said conveyerdischarges irrespective of its position, the upper end of the troughbeing bent backward above its pivot to a point over the chute.

3. In an unloading-machine, the combination with a framework, of atrough, a pivotblock for supportingsaid trough, means for raising andlowering said'block, an endless conveyer in said trough, means fordriving the same, and means for swinging said trough sidewise upon itspivot.

4:. In an unloadingmachine,'the combination with a framework, of atrough vertically arranged and pivoted to said framework, means forraising and lowering said trough, an endless conveyer in said trough,and a chute near the upper end of said trough adapted to receive thematerial from said conveyer, means mounted on the trough for drivingsaid conveyer, and means for swinging sidewise the lower end of saidtrough.

5. In an unloading-machine, in combination with a truck, a troughpivotally mounted upon said truck, on an 'axis intersecting the planesof travel of the conveyer, an endless conveyer within said trough, anengine mounted upon said trough near its upper end for driving saidconveyer, and means for swinging the lower end of said trough.

6. In an unloading-machine, in combination, a truck, a chute carriedthereby, a ver-' tical trough pivotally mounted on said truck, saidtrough above the pivot being bent to terminate over the chute, anendless conveyer mounted in said trough and consisting of chains andbuckets, and sprocket-wheels for the chains, a shaft on which two ofsaid sprocket-wheels are mounted, and a pair of engines mounted on saidchute on its opposite sides and connected to drive said shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CHARLES R. MAPLES.

I/Vitnessesz C. F. SMIEDEL, B. W. BROCKET'I.

